Seeking Fun Summer Activities for 14 Month Old

We love the water! There's a great play area at Soak City for young children and that's our favorite place. We've had passes since my son was 2, but my daughter has enjoyed it since birth. Also, in the area are parks with water play. Lakewood has Del Valle Park (on Woodruff) and Cinderella Park (common name on Candlewood between Palo Verde and Woodruff). My favorite is in Cerritos at Liberty Park. We enjoy the beach. For young children, try Mother's Beach. It is calm and perfect for young children. It also has a playground. Just go early to beat the crowds.

We also love Cerritos Library, which has an awesome childrens library with an aquarium, dinosaur, model of the space shuttle, a rainforest, and more. The outside is wonderful with fountains and a great tree. We like to picnic there. I think they continue story time there through summer. I don't remember. Visit the Japanese Gardens at Cal State LB and feed the Koi. Absolutely beautiful! We also love the Aquarium of the Pacific. LB also has great classes through Parks and Rec for toddlers including Tiny Tumblers and Baby Dance. Cerritos movie theater (in the mall) has free movies for kids on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There are usually 2 movies, one for young kids and one for older kids. The Santa Ana zoo is close, inexpensive, and enjoyable. To beat the heat sometimes, we like the indoor play area at Cerritos Mall. Lakewood Mall has one too, but we like Cerritos better.

There's more that we do, but my kids are older now (almost 4 and 7). I'm trying to remember all that we do that is appropriate for a toddler. I'm still pulling my summer list together and can't remember everything. My favorite book that I highly recommend is called "Fun Places to Go with Kids" by Susan Petersen. The author lives in the area (Lakewood/LB???) and is very thorough with all the activities in SoCal to do and list ages that are very accurate. I swear by this book. And, you'll use it for many summers to come!

Feel free to email me if you need more info on anything I mentioned or more ideas I may remember later. And, have fun with your DS this summer!!! What joy!

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Hi K.,
There's so much to do in Long Beach! There's the little train ride in the El Dorado park (North of Spring) as well as the Nature Center. There's the Shoreline Village and Aquarium. You might want to try some mommy & me swim classes as well. Both LB City College as well as the Jewish Community center (you don't need to be Jewish) offer classes. I would also check your local park and rec class offerings for the summer. If you're looking for a "road trip" there's Irvine park which is very nice for a picnic and also offers horeseback riding and a larger train ride or the Children's Museum in La Habra.
Hope those help. Have fun!
N.

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Cabrillo Marine Aquarium! There's a small sand beach with small waves, as well as a tide pool area. My girls loved it back then and still love the beach!

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If you're willing to drive a little, you can try the Seaside Lagoon in Redondo. They have a salt water lagoon with fountains, sand swings play structures and a Ruby's diner walk up counter. It is a wonderful place and you can find out more about it on the city's webpage. During the week the best times to go are between 10am-12pm or 2pm- 5pm. It is a very popular summer camp field trip and the are usually there from 11-2.

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K.,
There is so much for you guys to do. FIrst thing I suggest is investing in Susan Peterson's "Fun and educational places to go in Southern California." She has ideas packed in this book that are incredible. Or... go to the library and check it out. In the very back there is a calendar by month. My favorite summer activity is going to Tanaka Farms and picking fresh strawberries with my boys.
Have fun!!
P.

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At his age he'd probably love the LB Aquarium, it's a great place. El Dorado Park is nice and there's the nature park across the street from the main park. Mother's Beach is nice for the kids at that age. Adventure City is a neat place too, it's in Buena Park off of Beach and Ball. Children's Museum in La Habra - it's off of Euclid and a great place for kids that age - lots of neat things. Check your local library as well, they generally offer a story time 1-2 mornings a week.

Hi K.,

I belong to the MOMS Club Chapter here in Anaheim and I'm sure there's a chapter in your area. Check out their website at www.momsclub.org for more information. My 15 month old little boy has a great time socializing with the other kids which are of all ages. The nice thing is that you get a calendar with the coming month's activities and you can pick and choose what you want to participate in. I says that the club is for stay at home mom's but our chapter has women that work also. There's a nominal membership fee which is determined by your chapter. Mine was $20 for the year and then you pay for any field trips that cost money (i.e. the zoo, toddler playgrounds etc.). Most of the things we do are free and last a couple of hours. Good luck and enjoy your time with your little one!

Check out the Long Beach Park and Rec guide... there are classes indoors, outdoors, swimming at Belmont Pool, etc. You can also look into the Aquarium!

Enjoy - I am jealous!!

Hi K. my name is A. and i am a stay at home mom. My daughter Audrey will be 14 months in July as well. I also have a 4 year old son. So far we have swimming lessons planned for my son and Mommy & me for Audrey an myself. Maybe an occasional time at the beach, park, and a place called kids concept. That is a life saver for me anyway. Kids are so much fun. Well i hope you have a good summer! A.

Gymboree Classes are available... My daughter loves going... Here is the information:

Long Beach / Lakewood: Parkview Village,
4148 Viking Way,
Long Beach, CA
90808 US
Phone: ###-###-####

If he likes the water, there are wading pools for toddlers in Lakewood @ their various parks. They're great. Get there early (they open about 11, you might want to double check) to beat the crowds. They clean the wading pools every day & refill them with fresh water daily too. It will provide you a place to stay cool but there's also appropriate playground equipment too. And it's free!

There's Mother's Beach in Long Beach too. The waves are minimal & there's tons of other kids there too. Hope that helps. Have fun!

Hi Karin,
I hope you have a fantastic Summer. As a teacher, you need to be paid more and given more time off.
Well, I will tell you that Stroller Strides is a fantastic way to get out everyday. You and your baby get out, you get a workout, and once a week, there is an activity planned for you and baby.
Go to www.strollerstrides.net and type in your zip code. It will show you the closest Stroller Strides to you.
It is really worth checking out. It has changed my and my sons lives.
Enjoy and have a fantastic summer.